Semiconductor memory device having memory cells requiring no refresh operation

ABSTRACT

A memory cell includes first and second data holding portions for holding stored data and its inverted data. First and second p channel TFT compensate for charges leaked from first and second capacitors, respectively. A first (second) access transistor has first and second gate electrodes connected to a first (second) word line and to a second (first) node, respectively. The first (second) access transistor discharges the charges leaked from a power supply node via the first (second) p channel TFT in the OFF state in the leakage mode where the first (second) word line is inactivated and the second (first) node is at an H level.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of Application Ser. No. 10/867,787,filed Jun. 16, 2004 now U.S. Pat No. 7,141,835, which claims priority ofJapanese Patent application No. 2003-176906(P), filed Jun. 20, 2003, thecontents of which are herewith incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to semiconductor memory devices, and moreparticularly to a semiconductor memory device which stores storedinformation according to whether a charge holding circuit is holdingcharges or not and for which a refresh operation is unnecessary.

2. Description of the Background Art

A dynamic random access memory (DRAM), one of typical semiconductormemory devices, has a memory cell formed of a transistor and a capacitorand the structure of the memory cell in itself is simple. Such a DRAM ismost suitable for realizing higher integration and larger capacity of asemiconductor device, and thus has currently been used for variouselectronic apparatuses.

In a memory cell of the DRAM, charges of the capacitor, corresponding tostored data, would leak due to various factors and are lost gradually.It means that the stored data is lost over time. Thus, in the DRAM, a“refresh operation” is performed with which data is once read andrewritten before it becomes impossible to detect a voltage changeappearing on the bit lines corresponding to the stored data at the timeof data reading.

As such, the DRAM, for which the refresh operation should be performedconstantly and periodically for every memory cell, is inferior in termsof a high-speed operation and low power consumption to a static randomaccess memory (SRAM) that does not require the refresh operation. TheDRAM, however, has a simple memory cell structure and enables higherintegration as described above. It has a cost per bit considerably lowerthan those of the other memory devices, and thus is now dominant in theRAMs.

On the other hand, the SRAM, also one of the typical semiconductormemory devices, does not require the refresh operation indispensable forthe DRAM, as described above.

A memory cell of the SRAM has a configuration where a flip flop havingtwo inverters cross-coupled to each other is connected to a bit linepair via transistors. The data stored in the flip flop is in a bistablestate, and maintains the state as long as a prescribed power supplyvoltage is supplied. In this point, the SRAM is completely differentfrom the DRAM in which charges accumulated in the capacitor are lostover time.

The SRAM requiring no refresh operation consumes less power, with whichan operation of higher speed than that of the DRAM is expected.

A memory cell of the SRAM, however, generally includes six bulktransistors. It has four bulk transistors even in the case where theload element is formed of a thin film transistor (TFT) (hereinafter, thethin film transistor is also referred to as “TFT”). Herein, the term“bulk” is used to express a transistor that is formed within a siliconsubstrate, in contrast to the TFT formed on a substrate. Hereinafter, atransistor that is formed within the silicon substrate is referred to asthe “bulk-transistor”, in contrast with a thin film element formed on asubstrate, as is the TFT.

As such, a memory cell of the SRAM including six or four bulktransistors is large in size compared to a memory cell of the DRAMhaving one bulk transistor, with their difference in area being as largeas about tenfold.

As a semiconductor memory device that can realize lower powerconsumption and higher integration than a DRAM, Japanese PatentLaying-Open No. 7-307445 discloses a technique concerning asemiconductor memory device having a memory cell requiring no refreshoperation and operating at a low voltage, where a conductive sidewall isconfigured for use as a gate electrode, and Coulomb barrier is utilized.

As described above, although the currently dominant DRAM is suitable forhigher integration and larger capacity because of its simple memory cellstructure, it requires the refresh operation, hindering a high-speedoperation and low power consumption.

On the other hand, although the SRAM does not require the refreshoperation, it requires six or four bulk transistors. Further, forstabilization of an operation of the SRAM, the current drivingcapability ratio (also referred to as “cell ratio” or “β ratio”) betweenthe driver and access transistors should be maintained at 2 to 3 ormore, and the driver transistor should be designed to have a large gatewidth, which also causes an increase in size of the memory cell of theSRAM. As such, higher integration and larger capacity cannot be expectedwith a conventional SRAM.

As such, the conventional DRAM and SRAM both have advantages anddisadvantages in terms of properties and structures. With furtheradvance of the IT technologies expected in the future, there is a greatexpectation for a semiconductor memory device that can satisfy higherperformance (higher-speed operation and lower power consumption) as wellas higher integration and larger capacity.

Moreover, although the semiconductor memory device disclosed in JapanesePatent Laying-Open No. 7-307445 may allow lower power consumption andhigher integration than a DRAM, it would be much more beneficial fromthe standpoints of development cost, manufacturing cost, compatibilityand many other aspects if a semiconductor memory device that can solvethe above-described problems can be developed based on the currentlydominant DRAM and SRAM and by applying the techniques cultivated in therelevant field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above-describedproblems, and an object of the present invention is to provide asemiconductor memory device provided with memory cells that requires norefresh operation and realizes higher integration and larger capacity.

According to the present invention, a semiconductor memory deviceincludes a memory cell storing data, and a bit line pair and at leastone word line connected to the memory cell. The memory cell includesfirst and second charge holding circuits holding charges correspondingto the data and charges corresponding to inverted data of the data,respectively, first and second access transistors provided between onebit line of the bit line pair and the first charge holding circuit andbetween the other bit line of the bit line pair and the second chargeholding circuit, respectively, and each having first and second gateelectrodes, and first and second charge compensating circuitscompensating for charges leaked from the first and second charge holdingcircuits, respectively. Each of the first gate electrodes of the firstand second access transistors is connected to a corresponding word line.The second gate electrode of the first access transistor is connected toa first node that interconnects the second charge compensating circuit,the second charge holding circuit and the second access transistor. Thesecond gate electrode of the second access transistor is connected to asecond node that interconnects the first charge compensating circuit,the first charge holding circuit and the first access transistor. Thefirst access transistor transmits the charges corresponding to the databetween the one bit line of the bit line pair and the first chargeholding circuit when the first gate electrode is activated, anddischarges the charges leaking to the first charge holding circuit intothe one bit line of the bit line pair when the first gate electrode isinactivated and the second gate electrode is activated. The secondaccess transistor transmits the charges corresponding to the inverteddata between the other bit line of the bit line pair and the secondcharge holding circuit when the first gate electrode is activated, anddischarges the charges leaking to the second charge holding circuit intothe other bit line of the bit line pair when the first gate electrode isinactivated and the second gate electrode is activated.

Further, according to the present invention, a semiconductor memorydevice has a word line, a bit line, a charge compensating circuitconnected to a node to compensate for charges, and an access transistorconnected between the bit line and the charge compensating circuit. Theaccess transistor includes a pair of impurity regions provided in a mainsurface of a semiconductor substrate and arranged spaced apart from eachother by a prescribed distance to define a channel formation region, afirst gate electrode provided on the semiconductor substrate with a gateinsulating film interposed therebetween to face the channel formationregion, and a second gate electrode adjacent to the first gateelectrode, provided on the semiconductor substrate with a gateinsulating film interposed therebetween to face the channel formationregion. One of the impurity regions of the access transistor isconnected to the bit line and the other of the impurity regions of theaccess transistor is connected to the node. The first gate electrode isconnected to the word line, and the second gate electrode is connectedto an ON/OFF control electrode of the charge compensating circuit.

As such, according to the present invention, a memory cell is providedwith a charge compensating circuit and an access transistor operative inthe leakage mode. Thus, the number of bulk transistors required for onebit is restricted to two, and the refresh operation is unnecessary. As aresult, it is possible to realize a semiconductor memory device thatpermits higher integration and larger capacity nearly equal to what isobtained with a conventional DRAM and also permits a higher-speedoperation and lower power consumption since the refresh operation isunnecessary.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the present invention when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an overall configuration ofa semiconductor memory device according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of one of the memorycells arranged in rows and columns in the memory cell array shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing structures of accesstransistors applied to the semiconductor memory device according to thefirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating the principle ofoperation of the access transistor according to the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 shows the relation between Vth and Leff of the access transistorof the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 shows the Vg-Id properties of the access transistor of the firstembodiment.

FIGS. 8-11 are cross sectional views illustrating first through fourthsteps of the manufacturing process of the access transistor according tothe first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram showing another configuration of one of thememory cells arranged in rows and columns in the memory cell array shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view showing structures of accesstransistors applied to a semiconductor memory device according to asecond embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 14-20 are cross sectional views illustrating first through seventhsteps of the manufacturing process of the access transistor according tothe second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a cross sectional view showing structures of accesstransistors applied to a semiconductor memory device according to athird embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 22-26 are cross sectional views illustrating first through fifthsteps of the manufacturing process of the access transistor according tothe third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with reference to the drawings. The same or correspondingportions are denoted by the same reference characters, and descriptionthereof will not be repeated.

First Embodiment

A semiconductor memory device according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention is now described with reference to the drawings.Firstly, FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of the semiconductormemory device of the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, the semiconductor memory device 10 includes acontrol signal terminal 12, a clock terminal 14, an address terminal 16,and a data input/output terminal 18. Semiconductor memory device 10 alsoincludes a control signal buffer 20, a clock buffer 22, an addressbuffer 24, and an input/output buffer 26. Semiconductor memory device 10further includes a control circuit 28, a row address decoder 30, acolumn address decoder 32, a sense amplifier and input/output controlcircuit 34, and a memory cell array 36.

In FIG. 1, only a main portion of semiconductor memory device 10associated with data input/output is shown representatively.

Control signal terminal 12 receives command control signals of a chipselect signal /CS, a row address strobe signal /RAS, a column addressstrobe signal /CAS, and a write enable signal /WE. Clock terminal 14receives an external clock CLK and a clock enable signal CKE. Addressterminal 16 receives address signals A0-An (n is a natural number).

Clock buffer 22 receives external clock CLK and generates an internalclock, and outputs the internal clock to control signal buffer 20,address buffer 24, input/output buffer 26 and control circuit 28.Control signal buffer 20 takes in and latches chip select signal /CS,row address strobe signal /RAS, column address strobe signal /CAS andwrite enable signal /WE in response to the internal clock received fromclock buffer 22, and outputs the signals to control circuit 28. Addressbuffer 24 takes in and latches address signals A0-An in response to theinternal clock received from clock buffer 22, and generates and outputsan internal address signal to row address decoder 30 and column addressdecoder 32.

Data input/output terminal 18 is for sending data read fromsemiconductor memory device 10 to the outside and receiving data to bewritten in semiconductor memory device 10 from the outside.Specifically, it receives externally input data DQ0-DQi (i is a naturalnumber) at the time of data writing, and externally outputs data DQ0-DQiat the time of data reading.

Input/output buffer 26 takes in and latches data DQ0-DQi in response tothe internal clock received from clock buffer 22 at the time of datawriting, and outputs internal data IDQ to sense amplifier andinput/output control circuit 34. At the time of data reading,input/output buffer 26 outputs internal data IDQ received from senseamplifier and input/output control circuit 34 to data input/outputterminal 18 in response to the internal clock received from clock buffer22.

Control circuit 28 takes in the command control signals from controlsignal buffer 20 in response to the internal clock received from clockbuffer 22, and controls row address decoder 30, column address decoder32 and input/output buffer 26 based on the command control signals takenin. As such, reading/writing of data DQ0-DQi with respect to memory cellarray 36 is performed.

Row address decoder 30 selects a word line on memory cell array 36corresponding to address signals A0-An based on a designation fromcontrol circuit 28, and activates the selected word line by a worddriver not shown. Column address decoder 32 selects a bit line pair onmemory cell array 36 corresponding to address signals A0-An, based on adesignation from control circuit 28.

Sense amplifier and input/output control circuit 34, at the time of datawriting, precharges the bit line pair selected by column address decoder32 to a power supply voltage Vcc or a ground voltage GND in accordancewith the logic level of internal data IDQ received from input/outputbuffer 26. As such, internal data IDQ is written into a memory cell onmemory cell array 36 that is connected to the word line activated by rowaddress decoder 30 and the bit line pair selected by column addressdecoder 32 and precharged by sense amplifier and input/output controlcircuit 34.

At the time of data reading, sense amplifier and input/output controlcircuit 34 precharges the bit line pair selected by column addressdecoder 32 to a ground voltage GND before the data reading. It detectsand amplifies the minute voltage change generated in the selected bitline pair in response to the read data to determine the logic level ofthe read data, and outputs the same to input/output buffer 26.

At the time of standby where data reading/writing is not performed formemory cell array 36, sense amplifier and input/output control circuit34 is inactivated, and all the bit line pairs are fixed to a groundpotential GND.

Memory cell array 36 is a group of storage elements, formed of memorycells as will be described later, arranged in rows and columns. Memorycell array 36 is connected to row address decoder 30 via word linescorresponding to the respective rows and connected to sense amplifierand input/output control circuit 34 via bit line pairs corresponding tothe respective columns.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration of one of the memory cells arranged in rowsand columns in memory cell array 36 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the memory cell 50 includes two data holdingportions 50A and 50B adjacent to each other in a row direction, whichstore data of one bit and inverted data thereof, respectively. Dataholding portion 50A is formed of an access transistor 52A, a capacitor54A and a p channel TFT 56A. Data holding portion 50B is formed of anaccess transistor 52B, a capacitor 54B and a p channel TFT 56B.

Access transistors 52A and 52B are n channel type MOS transistors, whichhave first gate electrodes 521A and 521B and second gate electrodes 522Aand 522B, respectively. First gate electrodes 521A and 521B eachconstitute a normal gate electrode connected to a word line, whilesecond gate electrodes 522A and 522B each function as another gateelectrode in each of access transistors 52A and 52B. When a voltage isapplied to second gate electrodes 522A, 522B in the state where firstgate electrodes 521A, 521B are at an L (logic low) level, an incompletechannel is formed between the drain and source and a leakage currentflows therebetween, which current is considerably smaller than in thestate where the transistors are ON but larger than in a normal OFF state(for which detailed principle will be described later). While a currentof more than about 1 μA (μ ampere) flows in a normal ON state, only acurrent of lower than about 10 fA flows in a normal OFF state. Theleakage current (slightly ON state) herein means that a current in arange of about 1 pA to about 10 nA flows between the drain and source.

Hereinafter, the state where the first and second gate electrodes are atan L level and an H (logic high) level, respectively, is also referredto as a “leakage mode”.

The structures of access transistors 52A and 52B will be described laterin detail with reference to the drawings.

Access transistor 52A is connected between a bit line 68A and a node 60,and has its first gate electrode 521A connected to a word line 64.Second gate electrode 522A of access transistor 52A is connected to anode 62. Access transistor 52A turns ON when word line 64 is activated,and turns OFF when word line 64 is inactivated. When node 62 is at an Hlevel while word line 64 is inactivated, access transistor 52A attainsthe leakage mode, and charges are released from node 60 to bit line 68Athat is fixed to a ground potential.

Capacitor 54A stores binary information “1” or “0” according to whethercharges are accumulated therein. Capacitor 54A is connected between node60 and a cell plate 70. Charge/discharge of capacitor 54A and hence datawriting is effected as a voltage corresponding to binary information “1”or “0” is applied to capacitor 54A from bit line 68A via accesstransistor 52A and node 60. Capacitor 54A constitutes a “first chargeholding circuit”.

P channel TFT 56A is connected between a power supply node 72 and node60, and has its gate as an ON/OFF control electrode connected to node62. P channel TFT 56A constitutes a “first charge compensating circuit”that compensates for charges leaked from capacitor 54A.

Each of P channel TFT 56A and a p channel TFT 56B as will be describedlater is a resistance element formed of polycrystalline silicon(polysilicon) and having a switching function. It is a high-resistanceelement having an OFF resistance on the order of T (tera, “T” means10¹²) Ω, and an ON resistance on the order of G (giga, “G” means 10⁹) Ω.Herein, when simply a resistance element is mentioned, it refers to bothone having the switching function and one having a constant resistance.

Access transistor 52B is connected between a bit line 68B constituting apair with bit line 68A and node 62, and has first gate electrode 521Bconnected to a word line 66 and second gate electrode 522B connected tonode 60. Access transistor 52B turns ON when word line 66 is activatedand turns OFF when word line 66 is inactivated. When node 60 is at an Hlevel while word line 66 is inactive, access transistor 52B enters aleakage mode, and charges are discharged from node 62 to bit line 68Bthat is fixed to a ground potential.

Capacitor 54B stores inverted data of the data stored in capacitor 54Aaccording to whether charges are accumulated therein. Capacitor 54B isconnected between node 62 and cell plate 70. When a voltagecorresponding to binary information “1” or “0” is applied to capacitor54B from bit line 68B via access transistor 52B and node 62,charge/discharge of capacitor 54B is conducted, and thus data is writtentherein. Capacitor 54B constitutes a “second charge holding circuit”.

P channel TFT 56B is connected between a power supply node 72 and node62, and has its gate as an ON/OFF control electrode connected to node60. P channel TFT 56B constitutes a “second charge compensating circuit”that compensates for charges leaked from capacitor 54B.

P channel TFT 56A and 56B formed of polysilicon and capacitors 54A and54B may be stacked and formed on top of access transistors 52A and 52Bas the bulk transistors. Thus; the size of the memory cell per bit insemiconductor memory device 10 is determined approximately by the areaoccupied by two access transistors 52A, 52B and nodes 60, 62.

Structures of access transistors 52A, 52B shown in FIG. 2 are nowdescribed with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows the structures ofaccess transistors 52A, 52B in cross section.

Access transistor 52A includes a p type semiconductor substrate 101 as asemiconductor region, and a pair of source/drain regions 105, 106provided at a main surface of semiconductor substrate 101 and spacedapart from each other by a prescribed distance to define a channelformation region C. Source/drain regions 105, 106 each have alightly-doped-drain (LDD) structure, and include an n typelow-concentration impurity region 105 and an n type high-concentrationimpurity region 106.

First gate electrode 521A having a rectangular shape in cross section isprovided on semiconductor substrate 101 to face channel formation regionC, with a gate insulating film 103 interposed therebetween. Second gateelectrode 522A is provided at a sidewall region on each side of firstgate electrode 521A, with an insulating film 104 interposedtherebetween, to face the same channel formation region C. Second gateelectrode 522A has a cross sectional shape with its width increasing asit approaches the semiconductor substrate 101 side and its outer surfacesloping gently, as in the case of a sidewall insulating film formed of acommon insulating film. The gate length of first gate electrode 521A isset longer than that of second gate electrode 522A.

Access transistor 52B, identical in structure to access transistor 52A,includes a pair of source/drain regions 105, 106 provided at a mainsurface of a p type semiconductor substrate 101. A first gate electrode521B of a rectangular cross section is provided on semiconductorsubstrate 101 to face a channel formation region C, with a gateinsulating film 103 interposed therebetween. At a sidewall region oneach side of first gate electrode 521B, a second gate electrode 522B isprovided, with an insulating film 104 interposed therebetween, to facethe same channel formation region C. Second gate electrode 522B has across sectional shape with its width increasing as it approachessemiconductor substrate 101 and its outer surface sloping gently, as inthe case of a sidewall insulating film formed of a common insulatingfilm. The gate length of first gate electrode 521B is made longer thanthat of second gate electrode 522B.

Second gate electrode 522A of access transistor 52A is connected to node62. One of source/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to node 60, andthe other of source/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68A.Second gate electrode 522B of access transistor 52B is connected to node60. One of source/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to node 62, andthe other of source/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68B.

For access transistors 52A, 52B configured as described above, thestates of channel formation regions C in the “ON state” and in the“leakage mode (slightly ON state)” are now explained with reference toFIGS. 4 and 5. The principle of operation is explained using-accesstransistor 52A, since it is common to access transistors 52A and 52B.

FIG. 4 shows the case where word line 64 is activated (to an H level)and access transistor 52A is in the “ON state”. Node 60 is at an Hlevel, node 62 is at an L level, and bit line 68A is at an H level. Inthis state, a depletion layer A extends widely, and an inversion regionB having its conductivity type inverted is formed in channel formationregion C. As a result, the pair of source/drain regions 105, 106 isrendered conductive completely.

FIG. 5 shows the case where word line 64 is inactivated (to an L level)and access transistor 52A is in the “leakage mode (slightly ON state)”.Node 60 is at an L level, node 62 is at an H level, and bit line 68A isat an L level. In this state, depletion layer A does not extend widely,and thus, an inversion region having its conductivity type inverted isnot formed in channel formation region C. However, the voltage of node62 is applied to channel formation region C beneath second gateelectrode 522A. This affects the portion below second gate electrode522A, and causes a leakage current. As a result, it is possible todischarge the charges from node 60 to bit line 68A that is fixed to aground potential.

FIG. 6 shows the relation between Vth (threshold voltage of accesstransistor 52A) and Leff (gate length of access transistor 52A having anelectric effect). It is shown in this figure that when access transistor52A is in the slightly ON state (when node 62 is at an H level), theelectric field beneath second gate electrode 522A is affected by secondgate electrode 522A, and thus, Leff (the gate length having an electriceffect) is shortened and the threshold voltage (Vth) is decreased. Morespecifically, word line 64 is at the same potential level at points P1and P2 in FIG. 6, and node 60 is also at the same potential level. Thepotential of node 62 is an H level at point P1 and an L level at pointP2. This shows that the threshold voltage (Vth) is decreased as the Leffbecomes shorter at point P1 than at point P2.

It is noted that Vth on the vertical axis of FIG. 6 is supplied from aconstant current source, and corresponds to the voltage of a word lineat the time when the gate width is 10 μm and the drain current is 1 μA.The gate width of an access transistor actually used is 1 μm or less.

FIG. 7 shows Vg-Id properties for showing the cell properties at thetime of holding data. The case where word line 64 is at an H level, bitline 68A at an L level, node 60 at an H level and node 62 at an L level,or the case where word line 64 is at an H level, bit line 68A at an Llevel, node 60 at an L level and node 62 at an H level, corresponds tothe time of reading. The case where word line 64 is at an L level, bitline 68A at an L level, node 60 at an H level and node 62 at an L level,or the case where word line 64 is at an L level, bit line 68A at an Llevel, node 60 at an L level and node 62 at an H level, corresponds tothe time of holding stored data.

It is required that, when Vg is 0 V, the current amount (the point β inFIG. 7) at the time when node 60 is 0.1 V and node 62 is at an H levelbecomes greater than the current amount (the point α in FIG. 7) at thetime when node 60 is at an H level and node 62 is at an L level. Notethat node 60 is set to 0.1 V, since the current would not flow with 0 V,and the potential increase up to about 0.1 V, for example, isconceivable on the L level side. Even if the current amounts at points αand β are reversed, the potentials of the respective nodes are stableand do not cause any problems as long as the ON current of TFT is atleast a hundredfold the current amount at α and the OFF current of TFTis less than a hundredfold the current amount at β. The “hundredfold”takes account of variation in manufacture.

In this manner, the data retention can be stabilized. Even if theleakage current is greater at point β than at point α, the node on the Hside will not fall to L if the TFT on the load side where charges areaccumulated in the storage node can supply a greater current to thestorage node of H than to the storage node of L.

As described above, a current of at least about 1 μA flows in a normalON state, a current of not more than about 10 fA flows in a normal OFFstate, and a leakage current (slightly ON state) in a range of about 1pA to about 10 nA flows between the drain and source. When node 60 is atan H level and node 62 is at an L level as shown in FIG. 4, the currentamount may decrease compared to a normal state due to the influence ofsecond gate electrode 522A. However, insulating film 104 is providedbetween first gate electrode 521A and second gate electrode 522A, andthus, when word line 64 attains an H level, the potential of second gateelectrode 522A is raised by capacitive coupling. As such, it isconsidered that the current is not likely to decrease even if thepotential of second gate electrode 522A is at an L level.

To realize an effective “leakage mode (slightly ON state)”, it would bepreferable to set the gate length (L2) of second gate electrode 522A toabout 0.04 μm to about 0.1 μm when the gate length (L1) of first gateelectrode 521A is about 0.2 μm (see FIG. 5).

An operation of the memory cell is now described with reference to FIG.2 again.

(1) Data Writing

It is assumed that the case where charges are accumulated in capacitor54A and not in capacitor 54B corresponds to data “1”. When data “1” isto be written, bit lines 68A and 68B are precharged to a power supplypotential Vcc and a ground potential GND, respectively, and word lines64 and 66 are activated. As such, access transistors 52A and 52B areturned ON, and the voltage of power supply potential Vcc is applied frombit line 68A through access transistor 52A and node 60 to capacitor 54A,and thus, charges are accumulated in capacitor 54A. The voltage ofground potential GND is applied from bit line 68B through accesstransistor 52B and node 62 to capacitor 54B, and thus, charges aredischarged from capacitor 54B to bit line 68B.

Since data holding portions 50A and 50B are identical in circuitconfiguration, when data “0” is to be written, operations similar tothose described above are performed, only with the operations of dataholding portions 50A and 50B replaced with each other, and thus,description thereof is not repeated here.

(2) Data Retention

In this memory cell 50, the ON and OFF currents of p channel TFT 56A,56B are on the order of 1×10⁻¹¹ A and 1×10⁻¹³ A, respectively. Theleakage currents from nodes 60, 62 due to the OFF currents (not in theleakage mode) of the access transistors as bulk transistors are on theorder of 1×10⁻¹⁵ A. As such, the ON currents of p channel TFT 56A, 56Bexceed the leakage currents from nodes 60, 62 each by four digits, andaccordingly, it is possible to charge nodes 60, 62 and capacitors 54A,54B connected thereto from power supply node 72.

It is noted that the respective current values shown here only indicatethe orders thereof, and they are not limited thereto.

The OFF currents of p channel TFT 56A, 56B also exceed the leakagecurrents from nodes 60, 62. Since memory cell 50 is unprovided with adriver transistor for releasing the charges of node and capacitor at anL level as in a conventional SRAM, the potential of the node at the Llevel would increase and the stored data would be destroyed if anothermeasure were not taken.

In memory cell 50, however, in the leakage mode, the charges of the nodeat an L level are discharged to a corresponding bit line through theaccess transistor, and thus, the stored data can be held. Hereinafter,the case where data “1” is being held is described in detail.

At the time of holding data, bit lines 68A and 68B are fixed to a groundpotential, and word lines 64 and 66 are inactivated. After data “1” iswritten, capacitor 54A and node 60 are in a charged state (an H level),and capacitor 54B and node 62 are in a discharged state (an L level).Here, although access transistor 52A is OFF, a current of about 1×10⁻¹⁵A flows as described above, and the charges accumulated in capacitor 54Aand node 60 leak through access transistor 52A.

The decrease of the charges due to the leakage, however, is compensatedfor from p channel TFT 56A in the ON state. The ON current of p channelTFT 56A, i.e., the charged current, is on the order of 1×10⁻¹¹ A, whichexceeds the OFF current of access transistor 52A, i.e., the dischargedcurrent, by four digits, as described above. Accordingly, the chargedstates of capacitor 54A and node 60 are maintained.

It is preferable that the charged current by p channel TFT 56A exceedsthe discharged current by access transistor 52A by at least one digit.If the charged current is n times (n is less than 10) the dischargedcurrent, the potential of the node at the H level will decrease by1/(1+n) Vcc, which is not negligible.

Access transistor 52B is in the leakage mode, since node 60 is at an Hlevel. The charges leaked from power supply node 72 via p channel TFT56B in the OFF state to node 62 are leaked to bit line 68B via accesstransistor 52B. Here, to prevent an increase of the potentials ofcapacitor 54B and node 62, the leakage current of access transistor 52Bin the leakage mode should be greater than the OFF current of p channelTFT 56B. In this memory cell 50, the leakage current of accesstransistor 52B in the leakage mode is on the order of 1×10⁻¹¹ A, whichis greater than the OFF current 1×10⁻¹³ A of p channel TFT 56B, andthus, the discharged states of capacitor 54B and node 62 are maintained.As such, memory cell 50 can hold data “1”.

It is preferable that the leakage current of access transistor 52B inthe leakage mode exceeds the OFF current of p channel TFT 56B by atleast one digit; otherwise, the potential increases of capacitor 54B andnode 62 will become considerable.

For retention of data “0”, the above-described operations of dataholding portions 50A and 50B are just replaced with each other. Theoperations in themselves are similar to those as described above, andthus, description thereof is not repeated.

Although it has been described that the potentials of bit lines 68A and68B are fixed to a ground potential at the time of holding data, notlimited to the ground potential, they may be fixed to, e.g., a negativepotential.

(3) Data Reading

It is assumed that memory cell 50 stores data “1”. Bit lines 68A and 68Bare precharged to a ground potential in advance. Word lines 64 and 66are activated at the time of data reading. In response, accesstransistors 52A and 52B turn ON, and charges are discharged fromcapacitor 54A in the charged state through access transistor 52A to bitline 68A, so that the potential of bit line 68A increases.

The potential of bit line 68B remains at a ground potential, sincecapacitor 54B is in a discharged state. Thus, there occurs a potentialdifference between bit lines 68A and 68B. The potential difference iscompared by a sense amplifier not shown, and the potential of bit line68A is amplified to a power supply potential Vcc. The state where thepotentials of bit lines 68A and 68B correspond to a power supplypotential Vcc and a ground potential GND, respectively, is correlatedwith data “1”, and thus, data “1” is read.

When the data is read, word lines 64 and 66 are activated again with thepotentials of bit lines 68A and 68B being a power supply potential Vccand ground potential GND, respectively. Access transistors 52A and 52Bturn ON, and charges are recharged from bit line pair 68A, 68B throughaccess transistors 52A, 52B to capacitors 54A, 54B, respectively, sothat the stored data destroyed upon data reading are rewritten.

For reading of data “0”, the similar operations as described above areperformed, with the operations of data holding portions 50A and 50Bbeing replaced with each other. Thus, description thereof is notrepeated.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing access transistors 52A, 52B shownin FIG. 3 is described with reference to FIGS. 8-11. Since accesstransistors 52A and 52B are manufactured in the same manner, descriptionis made for access transistor 52A.

Referring to FIG. 8, a gate insulating film 103 of silicon oxide film orsilicon nitrided and oxidized film is formed on a main surface of p typesemiconductor substrate 101, to have a thickness of about 25 Å to about50 Å. Thereafter, a first gate electrode 521A is formed, with a siliconoxide film 107 on its upper surface. First gate electrode 521A has atwo-layer structure, with a polysilicon layer having a thickness ofabout 250 Å to about 500 Å as a lower layer and a silicide layer havinga thickness of about 250 Å to about 500 Å as an upper layer, althoughnot shown. N type impurity is then introduced into the main surface ofsemiconductor substrate 101, using silicon oxide film 107 and first gateelectrode 521A as masks, to form a low-concentration impurity region 105having an impurity concentration of about 1×10¹¹ cm³ to about 1×10¹⁹cm³.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, an insulating film 104 of silicon oxide filmor silicon nitrided and oxidized film having a thickness of about 25 Åto about 50 Å is formed on each side surface of first gate electrode521A.

Referring to FIG. 10, a second gate electrode 522A covering insulatingfilm 104 is formed on each side of first gate electrode 521A. Secondgate electrode 522A is made of polysilicon containing n type impurity(e.g., phosphorus) with an impurity concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³,and is about 500 Å to about 1000 Å in height and about 0.04 μm to about0.1 μm in width (gate length).

Next, referring to FIG. 11, n type impurity is introduced into the mainsurface of semiconductor substrate 101, using first gate electrode 521Aand second gate electrode 522A as masks, to form a high-concentrationimpurity region 106 with an impurity concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³.

As such, access transistor 52A shown in FIG. 3 is completed. Accesstransistor 52B is formed in the same manner.

Although it has been described that data holding portions 50A and 50Bare arranged adjacent to each other in a row direction, the memory cellmay be configured to have data holding portions 50A and 50B arrangedadjacent to each other in a column direction.

FIG. 12 shows another configuration of one of the memory cells arrangedin rows and columns in memory cell array 36 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 12, two data holding portions 50A and 50B constitutinga memory cell 51 are arranged adjacent to each other in a columndirection, and data holding portions 50A and 50B are connected to acommon word line 64. Data holding portion 50B stores inverted data ofthe data stored in data holding portion 50A. Otherwise, theconfiguration of the memory cell shown in FIG. 12 is identical to thatof the memory cell shown in FIG. 2.

The memory cell with this configuration can function in the same manneras the memory cell shown in FIG. 2. With this configuration, one memorycell requires only one word line, and thus, it is possible to relax thewiring pitch and others in memory cell array 36 having a plurality ofmemory cells arranged in rows and columns.

As described above, according to the semiconductor memory device 10 ofthe first embodiment, the memory cell is configured to have p channelTFT 56A and 56B operating as the charge compensating circuits and accesstransistors 52A and 52B operative in the leakage mode. The number ofbulk transistors required for one bit is limited to two, and the refreshoperation is unnecessary. Accordingly, it is possible to realize asemiconductor memory device permitting higher integration and largercapacity close to the levels of a conventional DRAM and also permittinghigher-speed operation and lower power consumption with no refreshoperation required.

Second Embodiment

A semiconductor memory device according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention is now described with reference to the drawings. Thefeatures of the present embodiment reside in the structures of accesstransistors 52A, 52B as semiconductor elements that are applied tomemory cell 50 of semiconductor memory device 10 shown in FIG. 1. Theprinciple of operation of access transistors 52A, 52B is as in the firstembodiment. Thus, description is now made only for the structures ofaccess transistors 52A and 52B and a manufacturing method thereofaccording to the present embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 13, the structures of access transistors 52A, 52B ofthe present embodiment are described. The same or corresponding portionswith those of the access transistors in the first embodiment are denotedby the same reference characters, and description thereof is notrepeated.

The characteristic configuration of access transistor 52A of the presentembodiment is that first gate electrode 521A is provided which has anapproximately V shape in cross section, with its side surfaces slopedsuch that the width of access transistor 52A decreases as it approachessemiconductor substrate 101, and that second gate electrode 522A isprovided on a sidewall portion on each side of first gate electrode 521Awith an insulating film 104 interposed therebetween. Second gateelectrode 522A has a cross sectional shape in which its surface facingfirst gate electrode 521A is sloped to follow the shape of first gateelectrode 521A and its width increases as it approaches semiconductorsubstrate 101. The gate length of first gate electrode 521A is madeshorter than that of second gate electrode 522A.

As a result, compared to the access transistor 52A in the firstembodiment, second gate electrode 522A of the present embodiment has alarger region facing channel formation region C. Further, a sidewallinsulating film 109 made of an insulating film is provided on a sidesurface of second gate electrode 522A. The structure of accesstransistor 52B is identical to that of access transistor 52A.

In these access transistors 52A and 52B, again, second gate electrode522A of access transistor 52A is connected to node 62, one ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to node 60, and the other ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68A. Second gateelectrode 522B of access transistor 52B is connected to node 60, one ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to node 62, and the other ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68B.

A method of manufacturing access transistors 52A, 52B shown in FIG. 13is now described with reference to FIGS. 14-20. Since access transistors52A and 52B are made in the same manner, description is made only foraccess transistor 52A.

Referring to FIG. 14, a gate insulating film 103 of silicon oxide filmor silicon nitrided and oxidized film is formed on a main surface of ptype semiconductor substrate 101 to a thickness of about 25 Å to about50 Å. A second gate electrode 522A is then formed, with a silicon oxidefilm 107 on its upper surface. Second gate electrode 522A is made ofpolysilicon containing n type impurity (e.g., phosphorus) with animpurity concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³.

Referring to FIG. 15, a resist film 110 is formed on upper surfaces ofsilicon oxide film 107 and gate insulating film 13. Resist film 110 hasan opening at the center on top of second gate electrode 522A.Thereafter, referring to FIG. 16, silicon oxide film 107, second gateelectrode 522A and gate insulating film 103 are etched, using resistfilm 110 as a mask. At this time, anisotropic etching is conducted suchthat the opening width of second gate electrode 522A decreases as itapproaches the substrate side (so that the etched end surfaces aretapered).

Next, referring to FIG. 17, after removal of resist film 110; aninsulating film 104 of silicon oxide film or silicon nitrided andoxidized film is formed to cover all the exposed surfaces, to athickness of about 25 Å to about 50 Å.

Referring to FIG. 18, a first gate electrode 521A is then formed toentirely cover insulating film 104. First gate electrode 521A has atwo-layer structure, with a polysilicon layer having a thickness ofabout 250 Å to about 500 Å as a lower layer and a silicide layer havinga thickness of about 250 Å to about 500 Å as an upper layer. Thereafter,a resist film 111 for patterning first gate electrode 521A is formed onan upper surface of first gate electrode 521A, above channel formationregion C.

First gate electrode 521A is pattered using resist film 111 as a mask,and the exposed insulating film 104 is removed. Thereafter, n typeimpurity is introduced into the main surface of semiconductor substrate101 with resist film 111 and second gate electrode 522A as masks, toform a low-concentration impurity region 105 having an impurityconcentration of about 1×10¹¹ cm³ to about 1×10¹⁹ cm³.

Next, a sidewall insulating film 109 of silicon oxide film or siliconnitrided and oxidized film is formed on a sidewall portion of secondgate electrode 522A. Thereafter, n type impurity is introduced into themain surface of semiconductor substrate 101, using first gate electrode521A, second gate electrode 522A and sidewall insulating film 109 asmasks, to form a high-concentration impurity region 106 with an impurityconcentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³.

As such, access transistor 52A shown in FIG. 13 is completed. Accesstransistor 52B is formed in the same manner.

The semiconductor memory device employing access transistors 52A and 52Bconfigured as above can also enjoy operational effects similar to thoseof the semiconductor memory device of the first embodiment describedabove.

Further, in the present embodiment, sidewall insulating film 109 isformed of a normal insulating film. This sidewall insulating film 109serves as a protective film, which can prevent occurrence of shortcircuit between a contact connected to high-concentration impurityregion 106 or the like and first and second gate electrodes 521A and522A

Third Embodiment

A semiconductor memory device according to a third embodiment of thepresent invention is now described with reference to the drawings. Thecharacteristic features of the present embodiment reside in thestructures of access transistors 52A, 52B as semiconductor elementsemployed for memory cell 50 of semiconductor memory device 10 shown inFIG. 1. The principle of operation of access transistors 52A, 52B of thepresent embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment. Thus,description is now made only for the structures of access transistors52A, 52B and a manufacturing method thereof according to the presentembodiment.

The structures of access transistors 52A, 52B of the present embodimentare described with reference to FIG. 21. The same or correspondingportions with access transistors 52A, 52B of the first embodiment aredenoted by the same reference characters, and description thereof is notrepeated.

Access transistor 52A of the present embodiment is characterized in thatonly one sidewall portion of first gate electrode 521A having arectangular shape in cross section is provided with second gateelectrode 522A of a cross sectional shape extending to cover a sidewallinsulating film 112 and partly cover an upper surface of first gateelectrode 521A. The gate length of first gate electrode 521A is madelonger than that of second gate electrode 522A. The structure of accesstransistor 52B is identical to that of access transistor 52A.

In these access transistors 52A and 52B, second gate electrode 522A ofaccess transistor 52A is connected to node 60, one of source/drainregions 105, 106 is connected to node 62, and the other of source/drainregions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68A. Second gate electrode522B of access transistor 52B is connected to node 62, one ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to node 60, and the other ofsource/drain regions 105, 106 is connected to bit line 68B.

A manufacturing method of access transistors 52A, 52B shown in FIG. 21is now described with reference to FIGS. 22-26. Since access transistors52A and 52B are manufactured in the same manner, description is madeonly for access transistor 52A.

Referring to FIG. 22, a gate insulating film 103 of silicon oxide filmor silicon nitrided and oxidized film is formed on a main surface of ptype semiconductor substrate 101 to have a thickness of about 25 Å toabout 50 Å. Thereafter, a first gate electrode 521A having a siliconoxide film 107 on its upper surface is formed. First gate electrode 521Ahas a two-layer structure, with a polysilicon layer of a thickness ofabout 250 Å to about 500 Å as a lower layer and a silicide layer of athickness of about 250 Å to about 500 Å as an upper layer.

Referring to FIG. 23, a resist film 113 is formed on one side surfaceside of first gate electrode 521A and on the main surface ofsemiconductor substrate 101 extending continuously from the relevantside surface of first gate electrode 521A. Thereafter, n type impurityis introduced into the main surface of semiconductor substrate 101 withfirst gate electrode 521A and resist film 113 as masks, to form alow-concentration impurity region 105 having an impurity concentrationof about 1×10¹¹ cm³ to about 1×10^(·)cm³.

Next, referring to FIG. 24, after removal of resist film 113, a sidewallinsulating film 112 of silicon oxide film or silicon nitrided andoxidized film is formed on a sidewall on each side of first gateelectrode 521A. Thereafter, a second gate electrode 522A is formed tocover sidewall insulating film 112 on one side that corresponds to theside where resist film 113 was formed, as well as a portion of the mainsurface of semiconductor substrate 101. Second gate electrode 522A ismade of polysilicon containing n type impurity (e.g., phosphorus) withan impurity concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³ and formed to have athickness (t) of about 500 Å to about 2000 Å.

Next, referring to FIG. 25, a resist film 115 is formed to continuouslycover a portion of an upper surface of first gate electrode 521A, secondgate electrode 522A and the main surface of semiconductor substrate 101extending on the relevant side. Thereafter, using this resist film 115as a mask, n type impurity is introduced into the main surface ofsemiconductor substrate 101 to form a high-concentration impurity region106 with an impurity concentration of about 1×10²⁰ cm³ only in theregion on one side.

Next, referring to FIG. 26, after removal of resist film 115, a resistfilm 117 is formed to cover first gate electrode 521A, second gateelectrode 522A, exposed sidewall insulating film 112 and the mainsurface of semiconductor substrate 101 extending on the relevant side.Thereafter, n type impurity is introduced into the main surface ofsemiconductor substrate 101, using resist film 117 as a mask, to form ahigh-concentration impurity region 106 having an impurity concentrationof about 1×10²⁰ cm³ in the region on the other side.

As such, access transistor 52A shown in FIG. 21 is completed. Accesstransistor 52B is formed in the same manner.

The semiconductor memory device employing access transistors 52A, 52Bconfigured as above can also enjoy the operational effects similar tothose of the semiconductor memory device of the first embodiment.Further, according to the present embodiment, second gate electrode 522Aconnected to a node is not distributed in a plurality of portions. Thus,when a minimum unit of design rule is applied to this electrode, thesize can be decreased (L×1, where L is the minimum size permittingelectrical control of transistor or manufacture thereof) compared to thecase where the electrode is distributed in a plurality of portions(L×N). Still further, gate electrode 522A not distributed in a pluralityof portions can avoid complication in connection of each electrode.

In the first through third embodiments described above, p channel TFT56A, 56B are employed as the charge compensating circuits forcompensation of the charges lost from capacitors 54A, 54B due toleakage. The p channel TFT may be replaced with a resistance elementformed of polysilicon. As the resistance element, one having anappropriate resistance value is selected which can supply a currentsufficiently larger than the leakage current from the capacitor and cansupply a current smaller than the current leaked from the accesstransistor in the leakage mode.

Further, in the first through third embodiments described above, thefunctions of the word line and the node can be switched between firstgate electrode 521A and second gate electrode 522A, and similarlybetween first gate electrode 521B and second gate electrode 522B. It ispreferable that the gate length on the word line side is longer than thegate length on the lateral side from the standpoint of stabilizing theON/OFF currents of the access transistors.

Still further, it has been described that capacitors 54A, 54B areprovided for holding the charges corresponding to the stored data. Suchprovision of capacitors 54A, 54B, however, is unnecessary if nodes 60,62 each have capacity large enough to guarantee the capacity equivalentto that obtained when capacitors 54A, 54B were provided.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated indetail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustrationand example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spiritand scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms ofthe appended claims.

1. A semiconductor memory device having a word line, a bit line, acharge compensating circuit connected to a node to compensate forcharges, and an access transistor connected between said bit line andsaid charge compensating circuit, wherein said access transistorincludes a pair of impurity regions provided in a main surface of asemiconductor substrate and arranged spaced apart from each other by aprescribed distance to define a channel formation region, a first gateelectrode provided on said semiconductor substrate, with a gateinsulating film interposed therebetween, to face said channel formationregion, and a second gate electrode adjacent to said first gateelectrode, provided on said semiconductor substrate, with a gateinsulating film interposed therebetween, to face said channel formationregion, one of the impurity regions of said access transistor isconnected to said bit line and the other of the impurity regions of saidaccess transistor is connected to said node, said first gate electrodeis connected to said word line, and said second gate electrode isconnected to an ON/OFF control electrode of said charge compensatingcircuit.
 2. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1,wherein a gate length of said first gate electrode is made longer than agate length of said second gate electrode.
 3. The semiconductor memorydevice according to claim 1, wherein said first gate electrode has arectangular shape in cross section, and said second gate electrode has across sectional shape increasing in width as it approaches saidsemiconductor substrate.
 4. The semiconductor memory device according toclaim 1, wherein said first gate electrode has a cross sectional shapein which side surfaces are sloped such that a width of said first gateelectrode decreases as it approaches said semiconductor substrate, andsaid second gate electrode has a cross sectional shape in which asurface facing said side surface of said first gate electrode is slopedto follow the shape of said first gate electrode and a width of saidsecond gate electrode increases as it approaches said semiconductorsubstrate.
 5. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1,wherein said first gate electrode has a rectangular shape in crosssection, and said second gate electrode has a cross sectional shape inwhich said second gate electrode extends to partly cover an uppersurface of said first gate electrode on one sidewall side of said firstgate electrode.
 6. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 1,wherein said second gate electrode is provided on a sidewall region ofsaid first gate electrode with an insulating film interposedtherebetween.
 7. The semiconductor memory device according to claim 6,wherein said second gate electrode is provided on said sidewall regionon each side of said first gate electrode.